Gilbert Baker Voting Record Documentation
- To see how to find these voting records that are copied
from the Arkansas Legislative website, see very end of this document.

Gilbert Baker
Voting Record Documentation

and Jim
Holt and Kim Hendren Voting Record

There are 35 Senators so it takes 18 votes to pass a bill.
A "present"
vote or "not voting" is basically a NAY vote because you are not one
of 18 votes required to pass a bill. Senators will sometimes say they voted against
a bill if they didn't actually vote YEA on it. There is not a simple link for
the voting records so we pasted the voting records of some of Gilbert Baker's
voting records here. If you want to check the Arkansas website for these
bills, see directions at end of this document or email the webmaster and
ask for directions.

(1) Act 90, SB 42, 2003) Gilbert
Baker voted for for the bill that resulted in $386 million tax to increase
our sales tax to 6%. Description of
bill in newspaper:
"SB42,
the school-funding formula bill, is based on the assumption that the state will
find a $441 million increase in state aid for the public schools, which includes
a $386 million tax increase.

Now Act 59

Senate Vote
- SB42

Bisbee

THE PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING
ACT OF 2003.

Yeas: 21

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

J. Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Gullett

Hendren

Higginbothom

Horn

G. Jeffress

Luker

Madison

Salmon

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkinson

Womack

Wooldridge

Nays: 11

Altes

Faris

Glover

Hill

Holt

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

Laverty

Malone

Miller

T. Smith

Not Voting:
3

Critcher

Steele

Wilkins

(2)Act 90 (HB1009 Gilbert Baker voted
for the facilities bill that allowed the State to take over all school
facilities in Arkansas (Facilities Committee recommended
4.5 BILLION for next five years.) Schools can no longer build or
remodel without permission of the state and according to state regulations.
Description in Arkansas Democrat newspaper Dec 1, 04 : "Arkansas’ public school buildings
need about $2.3 billion worth of immediate upgrades, including $86.7 million for
fix-ups critical to the health and safety of students and teachers.The price tag grows to $4.5 billion when it includes the need to add
space in crowded schools, population growth over the next five years and likely
repairs expected over that time. The numbers were in the long-awaited final
report assessing the needs of Arkansas school facilities that was released
Tuesday during a meeting of the legislative Joint Committee on Educational
Facilities."

Another quote from newspaper in 2005, "The
new Commission on Public School Academic Facilities and Transportation on
Tuesday tentatively approved a 500-page manual that is expected to guide the
planning, design and construction of Arkansas schools for years to come."
(Arkansas Democrat Gazette)

Senate Vote Feb. 4, 2004

Senate Vote - HB1009

Pickett

AN ACT TO CREATE THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL
ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE DIVISION OF PUBLIC SCHOOL ACADEMIC FACILITIES; TO REQUIRE
THE REALIGNMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION.

Yeas: 31

Altes

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

J. Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Critcher

Glover

Gullett

Hendren

Higginbothom

Hill

Horn

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

Laverty

Luker

Madison

Malone

Miller

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkinson

Wooldridge

Not Voting: 4

Faris

Holt

Wilkins

Womack

(3) Act 1467 (HB2697) 2003
Session Voted for the Omnibus bill that implemented a government
controlled curriculum in every school in Arkansas that has resulted in numerous
additional state department employees to oversee and control the implementation
of that curriculum in the local schools. By 2006, 61 schools had been put on probation for some
minor infraction that which allows the State Department to consolidate the
school, take over the administration and suspend or even oust local school board
members.

Senate Vote
- HB2697

Green

THE OMNIBUS QUALITY EDUCATION ACT OF 2003.

Yeas: 25

Altes

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

J. Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Gullett

Higginbothom

Hill

Horn

Luker

Madison

Malone

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkins

Wilkinson

Womack

Wooldridge

Nays: 5

Faris

Glover

Hendren

Holt

Miller

Not Voting: 5

Critcher

G.
Jeffress

J.
Jeffress

B.
Johnson

Laverty

(4)
SB91 (Act 98), 2nd extraordinary session, 2003.Gilbert Baker Voted to give $107 million dollars to Arkansas
Department of Education for 32 new employees, etc. The legislature
supposedly consolidated the schools to save money by hiring fewer
superintendents. $22 million paid the salary for every superintendent in the
state in 2003, but this $107 million gift to ADE would pay for 1,070 superintendents
at $100,000 for a year.
It was
reported in the papter that Senator Bisbee aacknowledged during the meeting that
consolidation wouldn’t save money.

Now Act 98

Senate Vote - SB91

Bisbee

AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION - SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE 2003- 05 BIENNIUM.

Feb 06, 2004 - 1:21:04

Bill & Emergency Clause : Passed

Yeas: 28

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

J. Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Critcher

Faris

Glover

Gullett

Hendren

Higginbothom

Hill

Horn

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

Laverty

Madison

Malone

Miller

Salmon

Steele

Whitaker

Wilkins

Wooldridge

Nays: 2

Altes

Holt

(5)Voted forthe bill that sent $456 million to facilities in 2007
from the surplus fund (this is like hidden tax-taking money from surplus that
could be used for other things people will be taxed on later.). SB833, 2007
House Bill 2501 and Senate Bill 833. $104 million was appropriated for
facilities in 2005 and the state's share of facilities was $277 million
in 2006. Before the Facilties Bill passed that Baker voted for, these expenses
were handled at the local level. Quote from newspaper article in 2007 board
members who were considering additions to school buildings:
"Other projects,
though, were the main issue of discussion between board members Thursday night,
as several thought that they were unnecessary and only being
considered because the state was providing a portion of the funding....This
is like buying a second winter coat on sale,” Distretti said. “You're just
buying it because it's on sale, even if you don't need it. (Paragould Daily
Press) Another quote from newspaper in 2007,
"The state Department
of Education requires districts to build schools that far exceed state
standards, a Springdale School District spokesmen told a panel of lawmakers
Thursday morning. Another quote from a newsaper in 2007

"The
commissionapprovedthecreationof
sevenpositionsinthefacilities division." In Ohio,
their facilities division started with 1 person and grew to 50.

Senate
Vote - SB833

Joint
Budget Co

Mar 30, 2007 - 10:46:17

CONSENT PASSAGE : Passed

THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE EIGHTY-SIXTH SESSION
PROJECTS ACCOUNT OF THE GENERAL IMPROVEMENT FUND TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR
THE STATE BUDGET.

Yeas: 34

Altes

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Critcher

Crumbly

Glover

Hendren

Hill

Horn

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

Laverty

Luker

Madison

Malone

Miller

B. Pritchard

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

J. Taylor

R. Thompson

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkins

Wilkinson

Womack

Excused:
1

Faris

(Note: This vote was taken after Holt was no longer in the
Senate)

Also Tuesday,
division.

(6) Voted forevery consolidation
bill that went through the Senate, for closing schools with enrollment of 500
(which didn't pass); with enrollment of 350 (Act 60 and HB1109)which did pass and closed 45
campuses by 2006; for closing isolated districts (which put many
kids on the bus for 3 1/2 hours a day after voting for a bill the year
before that got through on the basis they would not close isolated districts.
He also voted for countywide school districts (supposedly administrative
only but the wording in the bill clearly gives authority for countywide school
districts) SB132 of 2005 (This bill did not get
out of committee in the House) The consolidation
resulted in more centralized government, and
some of the main supporters of the bill admitted it would not save a penny.
There have been reports that it has costs the state and taxpayers more.
In fact, the bill that passed got rid of about 60 superintendents (later
more than that) but according to a Dem Gazette article, 12,000 new educational
employees have been hired since 2000. Sounds like the government, doesn't
it?

"b) By February 1,
2004, and each February 1 thereafter, the department shall publish a
consolidation list that includes all school districts with fewer than five
hundred

(500)
students
per the district's average daily membership in both of the two (2) school
years immediately preceding the current school year. "

Argue

Yeas: 21

Dec 19, 2003 - 1:00:36

: Passed

THE COMPREHENSIVE PUBLIC EDUCATION
REORGANIZATION
ACT.

Altes

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

J. Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Gullett

Hendren

Higginbothom

Luker

Madison

Malone

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkins

Nays: 14

Critcher

Faris

Glover

Hill

Holt

Horn

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

Laverty

Miller

Wilkinson

Womack

Wooldridge

Senate
Vote - SB132

Whitaker

AN ACT TO FORM COUNTYWIDE ADMINISTRATIVE
UNITS FOR SCHOOL DISTRICTS.

Mar 31, 2005 - 3:25:29

Yeas: 21

Altes

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Faris

Higginbothom

Hill

Horn

B. Johnson

Malone

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkins

Wooldridge

Nays: 6

Glover

Hendren

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

Miller

Taylor

Present:
2

Holt

Womack

Not
Voting: 6

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkins

(7)
Gilbert Baker supported and voted for all the following
bills: The most powerful liberal Democrat Senator Argue (Senate Education
Chair for several years) gloated over the amount of money raised in 2005,
writing the following in a guest article in the Democrat Gazette May 15, 2005.
"In the current school year we’ve added $380
million to the school system. Next year we’ll add
$170 million, and then in the 2006/07 school
year, we will add another $98 million. In
addition to these new operating funds, we’ve appropriated
$104 million to begin our new school facilities
program. This totals $752 million of new
spending in our school system in the current and next two school years. Total
K-12 spending is now 53 percent
of total state general and dedicated revenues, an all time high."
Note that "K-12 Note that "K-12 funding now accounts for 40 percent of
the Colorado general fund budget."
http://www.ncsl.org/programs/fiscal/tels2005.htm

Voting records on other numbers listed above show that
Baker voted for the bills that led to this funding. See #1 and # 2 above.

(8) Sponsored (and we presume wrote) SB
430 (Act 685) in 2005 providing for a statewide election on issuing tax
revenue bonds (Referred Question NO. 1) This bill if approved by voters would
have left "Arkansas in debt for decades to come," according to newspaper
articles. Citizens soon learned that because of veiled language in the bill,
the Highway Commission would have had power to re-issue bonds for maintenance
of highways up to the $575 million capas many times as it wanted
without further voter approval. This veiled language was a slick move
to get around the wording of Amendment 20 to the Arkansas Constitution that
guarantees the voters a right to vote on any state indebtedness. The
amount of interest and bonding fees would have been $217 million or 37%.
Fortunately citizens were educated through the work of dedicated opponents and
voted it down 68% to 32%, even though the bond issue was supported by the
political establishment.. (Former Senator Holt fought this issue and issued
a press release opposing it although he had originally voted for it.
When he became aware of the veiled language in the bill, he began to
openly fight against it. "Of the lieutenant governor hopefuls,
Holt and political consultant Drew Pritt of Warren,
a Democrat, oppose the measure. Rep. Doug Matayo,
R-Springdale, former Republican U. S. Attorney Chuck Banks, state Sen. Tim
Wooldridge, D-Paragould, and former state Rep. Mike Hathorn, D-Huntsville,
support it."

ARKANSAS INTERSTATE HIGHWAY FINANCING ACT OF
2005.

Senate Vote -
SB430

Baker

Feb 24, 2005 - 1:21:59

Bill & Emergency Clause :
Passed

Yeas: 32

Argue

Baker

Bisbee

Bookout

Broadway

Brown

Bryles

Capps

Critcher

Faris

Glover

Hendren

Higginbothom

Hill

Holt

Horn

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

Laverty

Luker

Madison

Malone

Miller

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

Trusty

Whitaker

Wilkinson

Womack

Wooldridge

Nays: 1

Altes

Excused: 2

Taylor

Wilkins

(9)
Was quoted in newspaper article as saying on November 2009: "Senator Gilbert
Baker, State co-chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, said hehas no criticism about the growth in state government’s employee ranks."
This quote was made in the newspaper article that reported, "In
Beebe’s second full fiscal year as governor, 1,254 employees were added to the
payroll, the second consecutive 1,000-plus increase under the Democratic
incumbent and the fifth 1,000-plus increase in the past 11 years. ("State still
hires, despite cuts" AR Dem Gaz by Wickline)

(10)Baker was the sole co-sponsor of liberal Betty
Pickett's HB2749 (ACT 1813) alcohol bill that has allowed the ABC Board to grant
liquor licenses to numerous so called private clubs in dry counties in Arkansas. This
bill passed by only one vote in the Senate.
There have been approximately 133 liquor licenses issued in dry counties to so called private
clubs, mostly restaurants, since Baker got this bill passed.

Senate Vote -
HB2749 Now Act 1813

Pickett

AN ACT TO CLARIFY THE PURPOSE FOR OBTAINING A
PRIVATE CLUB PERMIT.

Apr 11, 2003 - 1:55:32

Baker :Passed

Yeas: 18

Altes

Baker

Broadway

Critcher

Faris

Hendren

Higginbothom

Hill

Horn

B. Johnson

Luker

Madison

Malone

Miller

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

Wooldridge

Nays: 4

Capps

Glover

Laverty

Whitaker

Present: 1

Holt

Not Voting: 10

Argue

Bisbee

J. Bookout

Brown

Bryles

Gullett

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

Wilkins

Womack

Excused: 2

Trusty

Wilkinson

(11)
Gilbert Baker is the Arkansas
senator given the highest rating in (meaning he voted more liberal) by a
liberal organization in Arkansas of any Republican in the Senate and received a
higher score than 41 Representatives including several Democrats by this liberal
group. Information taken from this link, page 42 & 43 Citizens First
Congress - a Liberal Group
http://citizensfirst.org/resources/2009%20Vote%20Guide.pdf

(12)Never sponsored
an illegal alien bill in all the years he has been in the House or Senate or
given any real support to the movement against illegal aliens when he was
Republican Chair. He was on the committee that tabled Senator Holt's bill
in to keep illegal aliens from getting benefits. He did vote against Joyce
Elliott's bill to give instate tuition and scholarships to illegal aliens.

(13)Is so out of
touch with real conservatives that he relied on favorable quotes from John
Brummett and the Arkansas Democrat Gazette in his fund raising letter, and a
quote by John Brummett is the only quote from anyone he uses on his website in
the article "About Gilbert Baker." Everyone knows that John Brummett is
one of the most liberal journalists in Arkansas. The Democrat Gazette has in
the past endorsed Senator Lincoln, Vic Snyder, and wrote puff pieces on two of
the most liberal Democrats in Arkansas, Senator Jim Argue and Senator Joyce
Elliott, as well as a puff piece on the first self avowed lesbian in the
legislature, Kathy Webb. In addition, this paper has blasted almost every true
conservative legislator in recent years.

(14)Although he is
conservative on social issues, he has rarely, if ever, championed them in the legislature
or filed significant bills in that direction.

(15) Gilbert Baker voted for the Lottery
Act HB1002, now Act 606. Lt. Governor Bill Halter was successful in getting
a lottery initiative passed. However, Baker said in an interview
with Steve Barnes in February, 2009, that, " He [Halter] cast the
amendment; he proposed the amendment; and he got it out there, but he wrote it
in such a way that legislators are supposed to flesh the thing out. He
[Halter] understands that. It is our responsibility to come up with the rules
and the regs and hopefully he will have lots of input into that process, but at
the end of the day it is the legislature that will vote and the Governor will
sign the legislation that puts the process in place. Joyce Elliott was quoted as
saying in the same interview, " It it is up to the legislature to get it right
and set the rules and all of that." Link to interview with G/Baker, Steve
Barnes, and Joyce Elliott,
http://www.aetn.org/programs/legislativeupdate/archives/posts/february_13,_2009

Most Arkansans will
agree that the legislature did not get it right. The bill is a compilation of
bills from other states. And rather than write a restrictive bill after the
vote on the lottery by the people, the legislature wrote a bill that allows all
kinds of expansion of gambling with no or little oversight by the legislature.
This 117 page bill was written by Democratic leadership, and yet Senator
Gilbert Baker and other Republicans did not openly challenge the bill so the
people would know what was going on.

Senate
Vote - HB1002

Wills

THE ARKANSAS SCHOLARSHIP LOTTERY ACT.

Mar 23, 2009 - 2:46:17

Bill & Emergency Clause :
Passed

Yeas: 34

Altes

G. Baker

Bledsoe

Bookout

Broadway

Bryles

Capps

Crumbly

Elliott

Faris

Glover

Hendren

Horn

G. Jeffress

J. Jeffress

B. Johnson

D. Johnson

J. Key

Laverty

Luker

Madison

P. Malone

Miller

B. Pritchard

Salmon

T. Smith

Steele

J. Taylor

Teague

R. Thompson

Whitaker

H. Wilkins

Wilkinson

D. Wyatt

Excused:
1

Trusty

More
to come later.

See these links for other related article:

Liberal
Organization in Arkansas gives Gilbert Baker highest rating of all Republican
Senators and higher than 41 House members.

Go to
the Arkansas legislature website: http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/
Click on the link to go to the old site:
http://staging.arkleg.state.ar.us/members.asp
Click on the previous legislative sessions link on the left panel.
Click on the yellow folder to the session (the year) you need
to access information for.
In the drop down links, click on Regular Session Bills and Resolutions.
In the new window, click on Bill Status

Fill in
the number of the House or Senate bill

Then
click Senate highlighted in green for Senate Vote or on House
highlighted in green for House vote.